Tag: hot pof yoga

Who knew that getting up early on a Saturday morning, grabbing a coffee and sitting in an enclosed hot pod doing yoga with half-naked strangers would feel so god damn great. Certainly not me. As a revived exercise fan (well, sort of) I am all about trialling the latest work out craze; anything that gets my heart rate rising and my non-existent abs squealing, then I’m in.

Know what I mean? Well, in that case, let me introduce you to Hotpod Yoga.

Hotpod yoga is exactly that. Yoga, in a hot pod. It was launched in 2013 by strategy consultant, Max Henderson and yoga teacher, Nick Higgins, and is based in a cocoon-like studio environment which reaches up to 37 degrees. It may sound unbearable but trust me, it’s not. It’s actually really, really nice. The pod is dark and intimate with all classes having roots in vinyasa flow. I am not a total ‘yogi’, but the more I do it, the more I love it. And this sweaty yet soothing work out has by far been my favourite.

The one-hour session was based in their Hackney, London location and was taught by Lucy. Lucy also teaches self-development workshops which follow Embodied Yoga Principles, plus she’s had her writings published in top yoga publications such as Om Magazine and Yoga International, don’t you know!

Her knowledge guided me through the class with ease, and I reached a peak level of concentration which enabled me to stay focused on my flexibility, pace, and breathing technique. It’s a pretty hard task to get me to completely switch off, so well done Lucy.

Hotpod Yoga is not to be confused with Bikram, yes, both are heated, but Bikram can reach a hotter temperature of around 41 degrees and you’ll find that classes usually run for 90 minutes instead of 60. Heated Vinyasa and Bikram yoga are both Hatha-based practices which are made up of asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques), but heated Vinyasa classes will contain a variation of a sun salutation sequence (Surya Namaskar).

I have never experienced Bikram or heated vinyasa so this was a new and refreshing experience for me. I left incredibly sweaty, incredibly energised and with a clearer mind. This was certainly one yoga class I couldn’t wait to re-book in for.

Who would I recommend it to? This is a great class for all ability levels, it’s super accessible, dynamic and practical so even as a beginner you would settle into it quite easily. There’s no stress if you don’t know each specific yoga term too!